Days before Mallya fled country, senior SC lawyer advised SBI to get restraining order against him

Senior SC lawyer Dave had given the tip to SBI’s top management, having sensed that Mallya would flee the country; he advised the senior management of SBI to stop Mallya on February 28, 2016.

File Photo &nbsp | &nbspPhoto Credit:&nbspBCCL

New Delhi: In what seems to be a new twist in the Vijay Mallya loan default case, a senior Supreme Court lawyer alleged that State Bank of India (SBI) failed to act against the beleaguered businessman despite his legal advice, reported Indian Express.

Senior SC lawyer Dushyant Dave told the publication that he had asked the country’s largest public lender to approach the Supreme Court to get a restraining order against Mallya four days before he fled the country on March 2, 2016.

Dave had given the tip to SBI’s top management, having sensed that Mallya would flee the country; he advised the senior management of SBI to stop Mallya on February 28, 2016.

In the meeting held between Dave and senior officials, the former had advised SBI to approach the Supreme Court on February 29, 2016, to get a restraining order and prevent Mallya to from leaving the country.

He further said that top SBI management knew about the meeting but did not initiate any action, leading to Mallya escaping just four days later. While ex-SBI chairperson Arundhati Bhattacharya did not entertain to the questions asked by IE, SBI has rubbished the claims of the senior counsel.

On the contrary, Dave said SBI’s legal advisors came for a meeting with him along with four top SBI officials four days before Mallya left the country. “It was a very specific advice and even as we agreed to meet next morning at 10 am (the court opens at 10:30 am), the SBI officials did not come,” said Dave.

Commenting on the development, an SBI spokesperson said the bank denies allegations regarding “any laxity on its part or its officials” with regards to loan default cases involving the now-defunct Kingfisher Airlines.

While this is a stark development in the case, another angle that can blow the case out of proportion has arisen out of an email trail that suggests UPA finmin officials forced public banks to forward loans to Mallya.

The Central Bureau of Investigation or CBI is already exploring this angle and will file a chargesheet against suspected officials soon after they are done scrutinising relevant documents and interrogating sources.

Meanwhile, Mallya's extradition hearing is in its final leg, with only a few more remaining before a final verdict is announced in the matter. At the latest hearing on Wednesday, Mallya goofed up by saying he had met present Finance Minister Arun Jaitley before leaving, only to backtrack later.

Since Mallya's comments, a political storm has been raged with politicians from UPA and NDA taking digs at each other. However, Indian authorities should avoid making the issue political as it may significantly hinder the prospects of Mallya's extradition to India.

Days before Mallya fled country, senior SC lawyer advised SBI to get restraining order against himDescription:Senior SC lawyer Dave had given the tip to SBI’s top management, having sensed that Mallya would flee the country; he advised the senior management of SBI to stop Mallya on February 28, 2016. Times Now